Trying to find a compact Android tablet to use as an ereader

[Marinolino]

Originally Posted by cobrax3

tablets don't make good readers, in my opinion, the eye strain is too great.
but dor casual, 10 minute reads, they are ok

I can't read on iPad for more than 30-40 minutes indoors with brightness at 50-60 % let alone 70-80%, but with brightness at about 20-25 % and using ultra matte anti-glare protectors I can read for many hours without any eye strain.

The same is true with LCD monitors, I can use it all day & night long without the eye strain, but only if brightness, contrast and gamma levels were lowered significantly, with those levels at 50-60 % I'd feel the eye strain quickly.

If I want to read on iPad outdoors under the sun, I'd use a folded A2 peace of black drawing paper as a sun-shade (+ sunglasses & sun visor cap + ultra matte anti-glare screen protector) with brightness level at 35-40 %, and I can read for hours without the eye strain.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Marinolino

I can't read on iPad for more than 30-40 minutes with brightness at 50-60 %, but with brightness at 20 % and using ultra matte anti-glare protectors I can read for many hours.

I think having the brightness set too high is a common problem. If the screen is visibly "shining", it's too bright.

[Marinolino]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's very much a matter for the individual. I can - and do - read comfortably on my iPad all day. For PDFs a tablet is the only sensible choice.

I do prefer to read fiction on my eInk Kindle due to its much longer battery life, sunlight readability (I don't read my iPad outside) and portability.

I prefer 10" e-ink for pdf reading outdoors, and maybe even indoors if there is a good frontlight.

In landscape mode two screens per page for A4 documents, and in portraite mode for A5 pdf books one screen per page.

E-ink was not as good and fast for annotations, though, but for the plain reading was good enough for me so far, and new bigger e-ink readers are also much faster at annotating and note taking, although I have not used any extensively as yet.

Hopefully Clearink would change it forever this very year with a fast color e-paper screens.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Marinolino

I prefer 10" e-ink for pdf reading outdoors, and maybe even indoors if there is a good frontlight.

I don't read PDFs outdoors, but sure, eInk is certainly better for that.

My problem with eInk devices for PDFs is that eInk devices are generally optimised for battery life rather than performance. On my iPad I can flip through a PDF and the pages turn as quickly as I can flip it. On the videos I've seen of large-screen eInk devices with PDFs, a 1-2s delay when turning a page seems to be normal, and that's something I don't think I could live with.

[Marinolino]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't read PDFs outdoors, but sure, eInk is certainly better for that.

My problem with eInk devices for PDFs is that eInk devices are generally optimised for battery life rather than performance. On my iPad I can flip through a PDF and the pages turn as quickly as I can flip it. On the videos I've seen of large-screen eInk devices with PDFs, a 1-2s delay when turning a page seems to be normal, and that's something I don't think I could live with.

Yep, some find it too slow even for the plain reading, let alone annotating.

I can live with those 1-2 seconds delay because I would press the next page button while reading the last line or two

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Marinolino

Yep, some find it too slow even for the plain reading, let alone annotating.

I can live with those 1-2 seconds delay because I would press the next page button while reading the last line or two

More often than not, I'm not reading a PDF from cover to cover, but doing research. That means I need to be able to have several documents open at once, and rapidly flip both between them and through them. Hence I need rapid page turns and the ability to have several documents open at once, so an iPad is what works for me.

Of course we all have different needs, and the right solution for me isn't necessarily the right solution for someone else .

[robilarocn]

Originally Posted by cobrax3

tablets don't make good readers, in my opinion, the eye strain is too great.
but dor casual, 10 minute reads, they are ok

I disagree. The Samsung AMOLED screens are fantastic to read on.

Most tablets have blue light filter reading modes too to reduce eyestrain.

I've spent hundreds of hours reading on tablets without issue.

Where they do suck, is low res tablet screens (The Asus Memo pad for example).

[robilarocn]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't read PDFs outdoors, but sure, eInk is certainly better for that.

My problem with eInk devices for PDFs is that eInk devices are generally optimised for battery life rather than performance. On my iPad I can flip through a PDF and the pages turn as quickly as I can flip it. On the videos I've seen of large-screen eInk devices with PDFs, a 1-2s delay when turning a page seems to be normal, and that's something I don't think I could live with.

That is the main issue with the Kobo Aura 1. Despite being a top of the line e-ink reader, page turning is very slow compared to reading on a tablet. I read quite quickly and on an e-ink device, the slow page turns are a frustration.

The Aura One is definitely faster than the older devices I had tried but still nowhere near as quick as a tablet.

[Marinolino]

Originally Posted by robilarocn

That is the main issue with the Kobo Aura 1. Despite being a top of the line e-ink reader, page turning is very slow compared to reading on a tablet. I read quite quickly and on an e-ink device, the slow page turns are a frustration.

The Aura One is definitely faster than the older devices I had tried but still nowhere near as quick as a tablet.

As with Kindle DX some six-seven years ago and quite a few other e-ink devices, if we want a better pdf reading experience in terms of capabilities and speed, we should install Koreader thereon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2oSOeAnD10

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=240302

Many would still find it slow compared with tablets, though, but those who prefer e-ink screen would appreciate the difference.

Kindle DX with koreader is still my main device for reading pdfs outdoors in the sun (both A4 documents or A5 books), because I'd use pen and paper for annotations or simultaneously iPad for highlighting, annotations, color, dictionaries etc. thus spending most of the time looking at e-ink screen instead of lcd.

[Tarana]

If you need something very compact, for instance, to read while standing in a line, consider an out-of-date android smartphone. Unless you have vision problems, like I have now, even something as small as an Itouch was comfortable to read for about 30 minutes at a time - just the thing for out and about reading vs. long term reading.

[robilarocn]

Unfortunately given my age, anything smaller than a 7" tablet is too problematic to read on. I have a Samsung S7 phone and have to expand the text on it. I simply refuse to wear reading glasses